At Fabrics Galore, how we source our fabric to sell in our London shop and online fabric store is very important to us. Wherever possible we work with UK fabric suppliers who share our values of sustainability and ethics throughout the manufacturing process. As a supplier of wool fabrics online, we wanted to showcase one UK supplier in particular, Abraham Moon, who have traded British made luxury wool fabric since 1837 from their textile mill in Yorkshire.
Of course, Yorkshire is where our founder Paul Johnston hails from and where the first Fabrics Galore shop was owned by Paul’s grandmother. Before we dive into what makes Abraham Moon wool and tweed fabric so special we want to highlight the history of wool and in particular, tweed fabric.
What is Tweed Fabric?
Tweed is a coarse, woolen fabric which has been around for generations, with origins going back to the 18th century farming community in Scotland. It has always remained popular, mostly because of its excellent weather resistance, durability and timeless appeal. This famous material comes in a variety of weights, weaves, and colours, and is normally made from a tightly woven wool. It has a soft flexible texture and is often woven with a twill or herringbone pattern created by mixing the dyed wool before it is spun. Tweed can be used for different winter clothes and is a popular choice for heavy-weight outer garments such as coats, blazers and waistcoats. In recent years, tweed has even been used for skirts and dresses - which just proves its enduring popularity.
History of Tweed
This timeless material has been popular for centuries, most likely originating in Scotland and Ireland. It was originally used by shepherds and farmers, but in the 1800s it became more popular with the English aristocracy, around the time when Prince Albert purchased the Balmoral Estate in 1848. Estate tweeds were designed as the exclusive patterns of Scottish country estates, where only the estate’s owners and workers were entitled to wear them.
Nowadays, tweed still carries an element of gentrification, but it has become affordable for people outside the aristocracy. Coco Chanel introduced her first couture tweed jacket in 1954 and it has been a staple on the catwalk ever since. Tweed fabric is increasingly common in fashion and is suitable for anyone to wear if they are looking to style a more sophisticated and classic look.
Meet our Tweed Fabric supplier Abraham Moon
Established back in 1837, Abraham Moon is one of the last remaining vertical woollen mills in Great Britain and is our leading supplier of wool and tweed fabric. They are based in Yorkshire and they manufacture all of their tweed fabrics from the highest quality natural wools, which are sustainably sourced from Great Britain, South Africa and New Zealand.
The Tweed Manufacturing Process
The team at Abraham Moon use a highly skilled artisan process in order to dye the wool in over 500 vibrant shades and colours. In each unique yarn, there can be a blend of up to 7 different dyed colours of wool which create the finished fabric and gives the tweed its rich texture that we all love. Once the yarn is spun, Abraham Moon aligns up to 200 threads in the warp before applying their expert weaving process using specialised equipment to create the finished cloth.
The wool fabric is then ready for the Moon team to work their Yorkshire magic finishing the tweed. Abraham Moon is certain that their use of pure Yorkshire water adds a touch of luxury and helps to bring the finest quality tweed to suppliers like Fabrics Galore for our customers to enjoy!
Why do we work with Abraham Moon?
Here at Fabrics Galore, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide the highest quality fabrics for our customers, so we always seek out the very best suppliers who we can rely on for high quality wool fabric. Abraham Moon has a reputation for consistent quality and innovative design, which is why it still has a very special place in our fabric collections to this day.
With their heritage dating back to the 1800s, Abraham Moon has always maintained this excellent reputation, progressing from supplying local markets to the major fashion houses of the modern age. Over the past 180 years, they have consistently provided customers with the highest quality tweed fabric, setting themselves apart from other suppliers, by combining traditional craftsmanship with innovative design techniques.
Sewing with wool tweed fabric
Tweed is often used in outdoor clothing, as it’s a hard-wearing material which is simultaneously breathable and moisture resistant. As the fabric is firmly woven, this makes it relatively easy to work with, but as it can be quite bulky we recommend using a lighter fabric for interfacing. Tweed also has the ability to unravel, especially if it is made from threads of different textures, so it is important to take your time when finishing your seams. Handle your fabric as little as possible, to help prevent unravelling. If you want to know more about sewing with wool and tweed read or blog on the difference between jacketing and coating wool fabric.
Would you like to buy wool tweed fabric?
Across the Fabrics Galore website, we have an extensive range of dressmaking and other fabric types available for you to choose from. If you want to find out more about our range of Abraham Moon wool tweed fabrics we supply at Fabrics Galore, you can contact us today and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
